The short answer? It's not.
BUT, you get to be involved in the entire process, and can make it as easy or complex as you want.
You get to make a better quality product than what you'd be able to get at twice that price... or more. Plus you get to have an unlimited variety, some of which you may not even be aware of yet.
You get the pride of a job well done, usually.
You can start with minimal investment, or go totally off the deep end and build your own pub.......
If you are just interested in it for cheap beer, this probably isn't the hobby for you. But if you want to get involved, learn as much as you want, and join the obession, you cannot find a much better hobby.
Stick around, read as much as you can, especially the stickies at the top of this forum, then take the plunge. You'll never know how much fun it is until you try.